Heart of War
by Mad Kamek
Summary: Fox and Krystal's honeymoon is cut short as Pepper reports the mysterious raid of the Kantina outpost. Star Fox teams up with Coyote Star, a mercenary recon group headed by the wily veteran, Coyote Bill. However, this man is not what he seems... R
1. Duty Calls

Duty Calls

_Damn it_, Fox thought to himself. It had been about five months since the Star Fox Team's nigh-apocalyptic encounter with the Aparoid menace. They had returned to the Lylat System and helped with the rebuilding process. It turned out, due to a last minute abnormality with the warp gate, General Pepper's flagship didn't get in on time. Of course Peppy was alive and kicking, as was Rob 64. During the rebuilding of Corneria, the Star Wolf Team also returned, miraculously unscathed. They were caught by a gracious Cornerian populous, who threw them a celebration alongside the Star Fox Team and the surviving military personnel following the reconstruction (whether they wanted it or not). After that, they disappeared into the void of space, probably to find a new base of operations. Though—oddly enough—invitations were sent out to them for the wedding of Fox and Krystal, they didn't show. Since Falco was not present due to yet-unknown circumstances, Bill was Fox's best man. Afterwards, Fox had taken up advice he had received from a friend earlier, and Fox and Krystal's honeymoon was on Sauria. Several small misfortunes had befallen the newly weds, ranging from pest control to dinner fiascos. Finally, just as everything was perfect, an "urgent" call was sent to Fox from General Pepper.

Now, Fox was in the command room of the new-and-improved Great Fox. The others—Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Peppy Hare—were there as well. The man of honor that was General Pepper came up on the screen. Addressing them all, he sighed, "Star Fox, thank god you are there!"

Failing at controlling his current temperament, Fox groaned, "What is it _this_ time, General?" He caught himself too late as Krystal and Slippy gasped. The General looked somewhat offended, and Falco was shaken from his usual disinterest with surprise in his eyes.

"What's with the attitude, Fox?" Peppy demanded disappointedly.

"Sorry, everyone," Fox shamefully tried to explain, "I was kinda… caught off guard by this." Then, turning to the General with his usual politeness returned, he said, "You were saying, General?"

"Yes, well," Pepper continued, "there has been a tragic incident on Kantina." The screen opened a sub-segment showing the Kantina outpost in flames. "An unknown group came in, completely destroyed the base, and took all undamaged supplies. The only individual surviving the incident was your friend, Bill."

"Is he okay?" Fox gasped.

"Yes," Pepper sighed heavily. "He is getting the best medical attention, but he remains comatose."

"No…" Fox sighed deeply. His head aimed towards the ground, and his eyes shut in sorrow. Krystal sympathetically put her hand on his shoulder.

"This, Star Fox," the General concluded, "is the reason I called you. We have our scientists searching for clues, but I want to make sure this mystery is solved. Your mission, if you accept it, is to find the culprits to this atrocity and bring them to justice."

Fox's gaze met the General's, now filled with determination. "You can count on us, General. Star Fox is on the case."

"But where do we start?" Slippy interjected. "Wouldn't you guys have found any clues on Kantina if they were to be found?"

As another sub-segment popped up, Pepper stated, "We've already looked into that." The segment showed pictures of a seemingly abandoned outpost on Titania. "Since there are no clues to be found, I figured you would need the assistance of the best reconnaissance team out there, so-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Falco interrupted, "if they're supposed to be a better recon team than us, then why not just send them?"

"We're not leaving anything up to chance," Pepper explained. "The public is already crying out for justice after the whole Aparoid incident, and we aren't about to set them off. Now, getting back to where I was, you'll need to go to Titania and obtain the help of the reconnaissance team Coyote Star."

"Great," Falco mocked, "Star Fox, Star Wolf, and now Coyote Star. _Original…_"

"That's enough, Lombardi," the General warned. He then went to explain further. "The group is headed by its namesake, Coyote Bill. Coyote is a veteran of the old wars, before intergalactic travel became commonplace. In other words, the warp gate hadn't been invented yet."

Peppy whistled and said, "Wow, that really dates him."

"Not as much as you think," Pepper explained. "Coyote was only fourteen when he led us to victory against the Sectoid invasion of '72."

"Still, that would put him at 87 years old," Peppy remarked. "Shoot, that makes him older than me."

"Don't let the age fool you," Pepper cautioned. "He may not that good at piloting anymore, but on foot his technique is superior even to that of Fox's."

"Wow, that's gotta be tough!" Slippy chimed. "Still, if he can't pilot that well, he can't be all that good."

"Which makes your cooperation with him all the more vital," Pepper stated. "Though the other three members of his team are considerably younger than him, his weakness at spacecraft will make him an easy target for any enemies in your way."

"Enough talk," Falco chimed. "Let's get this show on the road already!"

"You're right," Fox agreed. "We're on it."

"Good luck, Star Fox," Pepper saluted, "and be careful." The screen went blank.

"You know what to do, Peppy," Fox commanded.

"You got it," Peppy confirmed. "Rob, set a course for Planet Titania." The ship went into hyperspace almost immediately.


	2. Showdown at High Noon

Showdown at High Noon

"So, uh, Peppy," Slippy asked, "What's this Coyote guy like?" The Great Fox was still traveling through hyperspace, but they were over halfway to Titania.

"I have no idea," Peppy said. "I mean, I was just a lil'un then; too young to remember. I imagine he'll be very reluctant to help us out. It'll be difficult to persuade him.

"Persuade him?" Krystal spoke up. "I got the impression that Pepper issued him a command."

"Not from this data we just received," Peppy retorted, holding up a paper. "It says here that the Coyote Star is a mercenary unit. It also says they are also do a lot of military aid in addition to their reconnaissance expertise."

"That explains the need of persuasion," Fox said, "but why will it be difficult?"

"We're dealing with a man who has seen the horrors of war firsthand at a very early age," Peppy answered. "Back in the days of the old wars, exploding ships did not destroy the crew so utterly that ash was all that remained. Corpses could be seen floating around—many still clearly recognizable—with large pieces of the ship's outer hull piercing their scorched bodies."

"Please stop, Peppy!" Krystal demanded in revulsion. "I can't bear it anymore!"

"Sorry, Krystal," Peppy sighed. "I was just trying to explain the kind of environment this man lived the majority of his youthful years in. It is very likely that a man like him could be traumatized in ways unimaginable. If he is sane enough, which I'm sure he is, he probably won't want to enter the combat zone again."

"How do you know so much about the old wars anyway?" Slippy asked.

"I used to read up on it," Peppy seemed reluctant to admit. "I was still naïve back then; I still thought war was 'cool'. That was before I joined Star Fox with James and Pigma way back. Then there was the Venomian prison, and that was a real wake up call for me."

This idle conversation was ended when Rob 64 announced, "Exiting hyperspace. Now entering Titania's atmosphere." Once again, the Star Fox team had to deal with the sand-blasted world.

"Okay, here's the plan, team," Peppy informed them. "Fox and Krystal, you'll enter Coyote Star's ground base. Falco and Slippy will use an Arwing and a Landmaster to guard you guys from any of Titania's fearsome wildlife."

"Got it," Fox agreed.

"We're on it, right Falco?" Slippy shouted.

"I call dibs on the Arwing!" Falco exclaimed, running for the docking bay.

"That's not fair!" Slippy cried, running after him. "You didn't even give me a chance to call dibs!"

"Guess that means Krystal and I go on foot," Fox said with slight interest. He knew he couldn't hide his joy from Krystal, who sighed and walked off with a smile on her face. Fox went after her. Peppy sighed and shook his head.

"Lovebirds," he grinned to himself.

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The team was out on the field. "Still can't believe I got stuck with the Landmaster," Slippy complained over the COM link.

"Relax, Slip," Peppy retorted. "All our tests show you can even outperform Fox in the Landmaster."

"Yea, so stop complaining and start shooting," Falco snapped, acknowledging an approaching group of high-threat predatory creatures.

"This is Fox," McCloud reported, "We're entering Coyote Star's base."

"Acknowledged," Rob 64 noted. Fox and Krystal walked up to the main doors. They opened automatically, without voice confirmation, an ocular/hand scanning, or password entry.

"That's sort of creepy," Fox admitted. "Sense anything, Krystal?"

"I can sense faint brain waves from within," Krystal stated while in concentration. "It seems as if the alloy the walls are made of suppresses my powers to some degree." This unnerved Fox further; it was almost as if the base was designed against their arrival. They nodded to each other and entered the breach and into a dark hallway. A light shone at the end. After crossing over into the light, they saw that it was open area. The roof over this area was a hologram up to the mountainside that the base was built into. In the middle of this open area, two figures stood at opposing sides.

One was a reptile. He was smooth, and brown like the desert plateaus. He wore a uniform of loose-fitting pants colored like brown leather. He had no shoes. A belt of what appeared to be alligator skin held up the pants. The shirt he was wearing was merely a vest made of the same brown leather as his pants. His facial structure confirmed him to be of the monitor lizard variety. The other was a canine of sorts. His fur was a reddish-brown on the face. His snout and the underside of his neck had a grayish fur, and his nose was (of course) a moist black. A cigar protruded from the right side of his mouth and was smoking gray from the tip. He wore a brown overcoat that trailed to his knees, though it was open all the way. Around his neck, a red bandanna was wrapped. His shirt appeared to be long-sleeved—though the coat made it hard to tell—and was of a lighter brown than the monitor's clothing. His gloves, which matched the monitor's vest in material, each had four straps trailing off the outer sides. He had a bronze belt buckle depicting a cactus with a couple of clouds behind it. The buckle held together a black leather belt. The pants were of similar color to the monitor's. This one, however, had boots that came over the pants and almost up to the knees. They were of a brown leather, with no laces or Velcro. Each boot had a platinum spur on the heel.

"Got any last words, ya lily-livered varmint?" the canine shouted to the monitor in a drawl.

"You are the one going down, amigo," the monitor replied back in an accent. The canine threw off his coat, confirming the sleeves' long length. Now, a gun holster was visible. Fox noticed a gun holster on the monitor's belt as well.

Suddenly, a voice sounded off on an unknown intercom, saying, "Draw!"

The canine whipped out his gun with such speed and finesse, and fired with equal speed and skill, that the monitor had only begun to grip his weapon before he was hit. He yelped, "You got me, hombre!" The monitor then fell back, and the two spectators could see a red mark. Krystal gasped, drawing the attention of the canine and the monitor.

"They're both enjoying this!" she exclaimed as if she didn't believe it.

"Of courssse, amiga!" the monitor cried in protest while sitting up as if nothing were wrong.

"…You're not hurt?" Fox inquired.

"Paintballsss alwaysss sssting," the monitor replied, wiping the red mark off.

"Ah!" the canine spoke at last. "You must be Pepper's men!" The canine turned to reclaim his coat, he dusted it off, and put it back on. With a full frontal view, his age suddenly became more obvious. His facial fur was very scruffy, especially under his chin and on the sides of his face. His eyes had gray irises, which were a stark contrast to the vivid yellow eyes of his reptilian companion. "I'm Coyote, and this is Cid."

"Pleasssed to meet you, amigosss," Cid hissed involuntarily.

(Thanks to Kit-Karamak for pointing out the error I fixed.)


	3. Coyote Star

Coyote Star

"Err, hi," Fox replied dumbly. "…I'm Fox McCloud, and this is Krystal." Krystal seemed perplexed by something, but Coyote spoke up first.

"So, Pepper sent ya'll down here, did he?" his drawl allowed him to say. "And here I thought the General was crackin' a joke with me!"

"What… how do you know Pepper sent us?" Fox asked.

"The ol' dog sent me a message," Coyote replied, throwing his hands up in the air. "Said ya'd be droppin' by to ask our help. He asked if I'd do it, and I told him to his face, 'Pepper, you git nuttin' til I see these guys, kay?' He gave me a smile and said ya'd be right on down faster than a rabbit on coffee. Well, he didn't use _those_ words, exactly, but…"

"Forgive me for interrupting," Krystal interjected. "I am a telepath, you see, and yet I have been unable to detect any thought patterns from you. Why is that?"

"Why, little missy," Coyote seemed proud to explain, "old war technique. Ya see, them Sectoids had several telee-paths like yerself, and I learned to keep them varmints out of my head. Guess it's a habit o' mine, now."

"I guess that explains it," Krystal agreed, though seemingly unnerved by the blocking of her power. Cid finally got up on his feed and began vigorously brushing himself off, for he was covered in dust from the ground. As he looked about, Coyote caught his eyes.

"Cid!" Coyote shouted militaristically.

"Yesssir," Cid said mechanically and stiffened his body straight up as if by reaction to a trigger.

"See these two around the base," Coyote ordered more casually. "Make sure you introduce them to the others," and looking at Fox, "and tell yer partners to git in here. They're drawin' the critters here."

"Sssir," Cid confirmed.

"Hold on a sec," Fox said. "I need to contact the others." Fox turned on his COM link. "Hey, guys."

"What's up?" Slippy asked over the intercom.

"Coyote kinda wants you two to come in for the tour," Fox said. "He doesn't want you 'drawin' the critters'."

"We'll be there in a sec," Falco agreed.

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They were now traversing the convoluted hallways of the alarmingly extensive base. The four members of Star Fox were lost, but Cid seemed to know his way perfectly. Falco whistled and said, "This place is pretty huge."

"I know what you mean, Falco," Fox mumbled. "I'm already lost."

"Ah," Cid stated cheerfully. "Here we are, amigosss." Cid entered a code, and the door slid up into the ceiling. Though Fox, Falco, and Krystal were awestruck, Slippy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Wow!" Slippy gasped, recognizing the room's function immediately. "This docking bay is enormous!" Slippy began sprinting ahead of the group, laughing gaily. Cid's face showed a grimace as he made a sound of disgust.

"Do you despise his happiness so?" Krystal asked loathingly, reading his thoughts.

"I _hate_ their obsssesion with mechanicsss," Cid hissed bitterly.

"_Their_?" Falco asked.

"Amphibiansss," the monitor grumbled as he stared coldly after Slippy. "They all ssseem to be ssso obsssesed with sssiensss."

"Do you know an amphibian personally?" Krystal asked politely.

"_Our_ mechanic," Cid admitted with a pause, "iss a sssalamander." Without listening to another word, Cid entered and followed Slippy laxly. Fox, Krystal, and Falco followed him, not sure what to think. "Sssally!" Cid shouted. A startled yelp sounded from the crew's left, followed by a shouted warning and an explosion. The three Star Fox members got away in time, but Cid caught the full force of the smoky wave heading his way. The voice from the left was heard coughing until the smoke cleared. As it did, the form of Cid became visible, only he was covered in soot from the blast. A woman about Slippy's age quickly approached. She wore a blue jumpsuit with silver-and-black stripes on the shoulders. She was almost a fiery red, but her skin was smooth and shiny. Her eyes had a purple hue on their irises. She indeed was a salamander. She stopped right in front of Cid, stared at him for a moment, and began to giggle femininely.

"I'm so sorry, Cid," she managed to say after the laughter. A faint accent (what we would know as Irish) could be heard in her voice.

"Sssaright," Cid replied calmly after a small growl. He released a deep breath, and his posture became a deep slouch. With a nervous giggle, she handed him a rag, and he fiercely snatched it from her. He then commenced savagely rubbing his face while walking away from the group towards the door.

"I guess an introduction's in order," she said with an anxious smile. "I'm Sally Meloni, and I'm from the Kantina Oasis. I assume Coyote didn't give any full introductions." She nodded towards Cid as she said it.

"Not at all," Fox confirmed with interest.

"Obviously, the old man's from Corneria," she stated. "_His_ full name, on the other hand, is Cid de Bandire. He comes from a culture where your last name is the place that you live."

"Where is Bandire?" Krystal asked. "I've never heard of it."

"Neither have I," Fox mumbled. Falco had been dragged off by Slippy to see some 'awesome artillary'.

"Cid tells me it was a nation on Zoness before the Andross incident," Sally told them half-heartedly. Krystal knew of how evil Andross was, but she was shocked by the sadness that had taken over Fox's face.

"Fox?" she asked uneasily, feeling his strong feelings towards this.

"Zoness used to be a beautiful world," Fox let escape from his trembling lips. "Like Corneria, only without the cities. Then Andross came along. He polluted the environment in his careless rape of the planet's resources." His voice tensed as he continued, but he let out a sigh, and muttered, "Cid must hate bringing it up."

"Not at all, to be honest," Sally mentioned. "He's actually quite cold about it. About everything, actually."

"But he calls everyone his friend, doesn't he?" Fox questioned.

"It's just show," she assured him. "He uses it as casually as 'dude' or 'hombre'."

"Aye!" Cid shouted. Everyone looked over at him. Black stripes unevenly crossed his face. They showed how the soot stuck despite the effort Cid had put into it. "You can talk to Sssally later, hombresss. You ssstill gotta meet Tecsss."

"I'll see you guys later," Sally agreed. "I gotta fix that vessel anyways."

The Star Fox crew (Falco had to literally drag Slippy out of there) followed Cid around the halls further into the base, which was beginning to look more like a fortress, despite only having four occupants. It took a while before they arrived at their destination. This was fingerprint-activated, and so Cid placed his hand on the door. The door opened into a command room, where a discussion was taking place.

"…And so I said to the cactus," the voice that was over the intercom said jokingly, "'Go and get your _own_ cereal!' Funny thing, though. I was so tired, I thought the cactus was good old Cid!" At this, the unknown man and Coyote were laughing like two old friends at a private joke that never got old. Cid cringed at this as he did at Slippy's jubilance and cleared his throat.

"Speak o' the Devil!" Coyote greeted. "C'mon in, ya'll!" Fox got a good look at the man Coyote was listening to earlier. He was clearly of cattle origin, a bull. He had long horns to crown his head. His fur was white with brown blotches around his eyes and all over his visible body. His eyes had an unnaturally light brown to them, about the color of amber, and his eyes had those tell-tale wrinkle lines. His nose had a solid gold ring in it. His wardrobe consisted of a sterile white coat and pants, with black shoes; a traditional medical uniform. His gloves were, oddly enough, a black rubber.

"Hello, folks," the bull greeted. " I am Boulregard M. Brassheimer." The Star Fox team gave him dumb looks. With a sigh of disappointment, he said, "They call me 'Tex'."

Coyote gave a hearty laugh and said, "Tex is our medic, here. Also an old friend of mine."

"That's right," Boulregard agreed. "We go way back to the old wars. I actually got a few years on old Coyote here, but I didn't join up 'til a while after him. He taught me the ropes. In fact, weren't you my drill sergeant?"

"I… think so…" Coyote replied uncertainly, "but it was a long time ago. Always a chance we could be mistaken."

"And Peppy says _he's_ got age problems," Falco smirked. Hearing this, Cid laughed openly.

Ignoring him, Coyote said, "Why don't ya land yer ship here? It could use some refueling, and I think that young'in Peppy should join us for discussing stratergy."

"Good point," Fox agreed. He relayed the message to the Great Fox, and it came in for a landing. After a long wait, Peppy arrived, and Sally short after. Peppy got brief introductions to everybody, and then Coyote summoned their attention.

"Well," he said in his usual drawl, "let's git started."


	4. The Stranger

The Stranger

During that meeting, it had been agreed that Star Fox would accompany Coyote Star as they scanned the asteroid fields for signs of the perpetrators. The team was out in full force near the Sargasso sector. Star Wolf had abandoned this area for a more secluded location to establish headquarters, but perhaps new outlaws had made roost here. Avoiding the asteroids was easy, as they were thin in this sector.

"Team," Peppy reported, "we've just received new data from the Cornerian investigational force. It seems they've gathered enough evidence to confirm two enemy fighters at Kantina. One appeared to be quite skilled despite its sluggish speed, and the other was reported to be 'everywhere at once'. Be on the lookout for anything matching that description."

"Thanks, Peppy," Fox returned gratefully.

"A sluggish ship and one that was 'everywhere'?" Sally said uneasily. "But that sounds like-"

"Two foreign vessels detected," Rob reported. "One is turning away, while the other is approaching quickly. Approaching vessel appears to be outdated in terms of technology. Threat level: poor. Unfamiliar life form detected within vessel; scanning archives… Vessel is within visibility range."

"Where?" Falco grouched. "I don't see it!"

"Maybe it'sss invissible," Cid suggested.

Acting brashly, Slippy said, "Come out and fight, you coward!"

"As you wish," an unfamiliar voice retorted. A ship came into view, but it could be seen through. It flew at Slippy at an incredible speed, with a trail of phantasms being left in its wake. The ship flew _through_ Slippy's Arwing, and it turned off.

"Slippy!" Fox shouted, "Are you alright?" No response came. Sally flew close to see inside the cockpit. She saw Slippy mashing different buttons, none of which were effective.

"It seems the power in his vessel is gone," Sally reported.

"Slippy is really stressed out," Krystal gasped from an overload of emotion on Slippy's part. At that point, the ship became completely opaque.

"Who in tarnation are ya!" Coyote shouted bitterly.

"That voice…" the stranger remarked. "It couldn't be… The dog?"

"What're ya babblin' on about?" Coyote inquired.

"You are the one called Coyote," the stranger replied. "I never forget a voice."

"…Wha- How do you know that?" Coyote studdered.

"Yo, Krystal," Falco wondered, "what's this guy thinking?"

"…I don't know," Krystal admitted after a bit. "He seems to have mental defenses on the same level as Coyote's."

"I can read _you_ like a book, however," the stranger replied cockily. "You are the mate of the commander Fox McCloud, as well as your team's newest addition. You are extremely docile yet will fight for what's right. You have a friend named Tricky and-"

"Stop doin' that!" Coyote shouted. "What are ye, some kinda telepath?"

"You read my mind," the stranger mocked. "I don't comprehend why I can't read your mind, Coyote, but I never could…"

"I'm tired of guessing games," Falco snapped. "Coyote, who the hell is this guy?"

" I don't know," Coyote grumbled.

"Let me explain it for you, then," the stranger offered. "Long ago, you encountered a Sectoid force led by two commanders. Both commanders escaped, but one of them got your name. And you got his."

"Mantikis…" Coyote growled. "Never thought I'd see yer sorry carapace again."

"Mantikis?" Peppy asked.

"The Sectoid commander during that invasion," Coyote said cockily. "I was just 14 then." He clapped his hands and continued. "Boys and girls, we got ourselves our little vandals!" Coyote's Howler—Coyote Star's standard vessel—accelerated at Mantikis's vessel, which vanished. Coyote fired a shot at nothing, it impacted with an unseen object, and the injured vessel appeared.

"Dude," Falco groaned, "down already?"

"The ship's outdated, remember?" Krystal reminded him.

"Let's bag this dirty criminal," Coyote ordered.

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Mantikis awoke and found himself in confinement. He was a horrific sight to behold. He resembled what you and I would call a mantis. His large, yellow eyes scanned his exposed green exoskeleton. Sharp spikes jutted from the undersides of his arms. He noticed his fingered hands were exposed, meaning that his melee weapons were stripped before putting him in the cell. He tried to teleport out, but he found his powers were non-functional. The female telepath he had encountered must've had this prison designed for him. He would have to compliment her foresight later. Her powers paled in comparison with his, however, and he had one power unaffected by this chamber of nullification. He was just about to decide upon it when some of his captors arrived.

"You're coming with us, buggy," Falco mocked. The cage opened, and Mantikis lunged at the bird and the fox. Falco immediately brought a pistol forth, and Mantikis halted. He knew now he wasn't going to be able to dodge a shot that came, so he cooperated. Mantikis didn't know why he never attempted to teleport during this trip, for he knew from his captors' minds that the walls were not restricting his ability. At last, they entered the control room of the Great Fox. He took an offer to sit in a chair before Peppy could say it. The hare was unshaken, however, and he began the inquisition.

"What is your name?" Peppy asked.

"Mantikis Tragaol," he answered casually.

"Where are you from?" the hare inquired of him.

"Planet Nephlia of the Zargon System," Mantikis replied.

"Why did you assault the Kantina Outpost?" Peppy asked.

"I know nothing of this assault," Mantikis replied calmly.

"You really think we're gonna believe that?" Falco retorted.

"Do you want the truth?" Mantikis questioned.

"Yes," Falco answered expectingly.

"Then you have my answer," Mantikis repeated. "I know nothing of this assault."

Signaling off Falco's rebuttal, Peppy asked, "Well, then why _did_ you come to the Lylat System?"

Seeming happy to explain, Mantikis stated, "Recent observations show your system is constantly at war with itself. My fellow commander and I were sent to scout the system. You see, if you are weakened from civil strife or involved in such, then the Lylat System would be ripe for a hostile invasion. Our people are being forced out of our homes by some race related to the Aparoids in terms of ancestry, and we were just looking for some space."

"Why didn't you ask?" Peppy wondered. "Surely we would've let you stay."

"It's not our way," Mantikis replied with utmost seriousness.

"Well…" Fox asked, "would you help us find out who _did_ attack Kantina, then?"

"Oh," Mantikis smirked, "I already know who did it."

"You **do**?" Peppy and Slippy blurted out.

"Tell us, then!" Tex demanded. "Don't keep us waiting!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Mantikis stated. "It would be unfair; telepath's advantage and all."

"**What!**" Falco shouted. "Whadaya mean you won't tell us!"

"You don't get a word out of me until you take care of them," Mantikis replied.

"What are you going on about?" Falco snapped.

"Hostile forces detected," Rob alerted the group. "Incoming message from Emperor Oikonny."

"You mean he's _alive_!" Fox gasped. "That's not possible!"

"Hello, Star Fox!" Andrew shouted as his face came upon the screen. "I want you to test out my latest toys!" As suddenly as the message came, it ended.

"Damn," Fox cursed. Then addressing the team, he ordered, "Move out!"


	5. The Ultimatum

The Ultimatum

Peppy was watching the battle up on the monitor. He witnessed that these "new toys" of Oikonny's were really pathetic as opponents. Andrew was no pushover, but this display showed he still wasn't very bright. The team was shredding through them quite easily. As a matter of fact, everyone had forgotten about the stranger, Mantikis. While out, Coyote sent a message. "Cid! Private channel; you know the one."

"Yesssir," Cid replied. Once they were in a private channel, he asked, "What isss it, amigo?"

"Ya heard the telepath, Cid!" Coyote growled. "How'd he find out? I thought I trained ya ter keep yer mind away from those types!"

"Pleasss undersstand, Jefe," Cid explained. "He issn't like any other! He wasss too powerful for me!" Unknown to them, Krystal began trying to read their minds, but something far more noticeable bothered her. She could read Mantikis's brain waves. As a matter of fact, she could _see_ them!

_Where are you…_ Mantikis communicated. _…There you are, Vincent_.

_I thought you were to report in three days,_ "Vincent" grumbled bitterly. _I'm in the middle of a very important meeting._

_I know, _Mantikis retorted, _but I'm kind of in a jam._

_What are you doing? _Krystal interjected.

_Who is that! _Vincent demanded to know. _They have a telepath?_

_Don't worry yourself, _Mantikis assured him. _She is inexperienced; far too young to be a threat to me. Now, getting to back where I was, I have been made prisoner._

_What an insult to our kind, _Vincent muttered.

_Don't you think you're being rather harsh? _Krystal asked.

_Stay out of this, dog! _Vincent snapped. _Mammals… Anyway, how did you get caught? They couldn't have possibly overwhelmed you._

_Remember the cur that routed us 73 years ago? _Mantikis inquired.

_The coyote still lives?_ Vincent coughed in shock. _But that would make him 87 years old. How could any mammal be fit to battle at that age, let alone trounce you?_

_I do not know how, _Mantikis grumbled. _His age has only manifested in his outward appearance. He looks too old to be of any use to them, yet he fights like the very whelp that defeated us all those years ago._

_Offer them an ultimatum, _Vincent instructed. _Tell them to hand you over to me or we shall go to war with them._

_Thanks, Brother… _Mantikis replied sensitively.

_I thought I told you never to call me that!_ Vincent snapped.

_Fine, Bigfoot, _Mantikis retorted childishly.

_Brother?_ Krystal asked.

_That's not for you to know, yet,_ Mantikis told her.

_Will you tell me who the Kantina raiders are?_ she inquired.

_I wish I could, honestly, _Mantikis sighed, _but I forgot._ Sensing her disbelief, he added, _It can happen during an intergalactic telepathy session, especially if it isn't relevant to the telepath._

_Is your brother a telepath too? _she asked him.

_No, _Mantikis answered, _but we have a special link. I think it's magic, because no telepath can communicate from that distance otherwise._

_I see, _Krystal sighed.

_You wish to try and learn from me, _Mantikis sensed.

_How did you… of course, _she realized mid-sentence. _Yes, I would._

_Very well,_ Mantikis chuckled. _It gives me something to do until Vincent arrives._

_You know, _Krystal suggested, _you could also help us find our culprit._

_Yes, I suppose I could, _Mantikis agreed. _…Of course, I remember now! Oh, but that means I can't tell you._

_What? Why not?_

_Because I want to expose him with the proper evidence. No one would be able to base this on my opinion alone, and your's would never be believed simply based on status._

_Tell me and we can find the evidence together! None of them are telepaths. Speaking of which, I caught a thought about teleporting. Telepaths can't teleport._

_That is because I am also a telekinetic. I can teleport myself and my vessel short distances, and I can do phasing._

_Phasing?_

_When I disabled the frog's vessel._

_Oh._

"Krystal!" Fox shouted. She severed their link and dodged an incoming missile. "What happened?"

"Sorry, Fox," Krystal explained. "I was caught up in a conversation with our prisoner."

"…The prisoner?" Fox asked. "Why him?"

_Don't let Coyote know anyone is on to him, _Mantikis warned.

_**What!** _Krystal nearly yelled aloud. _You can't possibly mean Coyote did it!_

_Him and the monitor, _Mantikis uttered seriously. In disbelief, Krystal read Cid's mind.

_…Jefe is screwed up. Nobody knows we did it, the paranoid bastard…_

_I don't believe it, _Krystal said to Mantikis.

"Hey, everybody!" Coyote shouted, celebrating. "We showed those lily-livered varmints what bein' a man's about! Let's celebrate over a keg!"

"Here here!" Tex agreed.

"Sure…" Cid mumbled, stewing over inner thoughts.

"Cid, private channel please," Sally requested.

"…Okay," Cid agreed.

"Okay, what's with all the private channel crap?" Falco suspected.

"Coyote's a bit… paranoid," Boulregard explained. "He's always lecturing how reconnaissance is a risky job."

"Is that smart calling your captain paranoid?" Slippy warned.

"It's okay," Tex shrugged off. "He's too busy preparing a celebration."

"By the way," Krystal interjected, "I have a message from our guest…"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the private conversation between Cid and Sally took place:

"Okay, Sssally," Cid sighed tiredly. "What isss it?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Sally warned. "I know something's wrong. What is it?"

"Pleasss believe me," Cid said, "when I sssay I can't tell you."

"You've been open with me before," Sally reminded him.

"Thiss isss… different," Cid explained rather vaguely.

"How so?" she pushed stubbornly.

"If I told you…" he began, "you would not think of me the ssame way. It issn't ssomething I can talk about."

"You're scaring me, Cid," she whispered.

"Well, for one, I got ordersss from the jefe not to ssay…"

"Coyote isn't exactly the sanest man."

"Ssecondly, according to him, it'ss all for our benefit."

"Who do you mean by 'our'?"

"Well, mostly him, but partially for me asss well."

"Please tell me, Cid. Just so I don't have to worry."

"Well… … …fine. I'll tell you. The Kantina raid…"

"…No. You can't be-"

"I'm completely ssserious, Ssally."

"Why?" her voice was beginning to crack.

"I don't know… He sssaid it would be for the greater good; that I jusst had to help him by that and he'd take care of the resst. I don't know what he meant by it, but-"

"Never mind, Cid," she stopped him. "I can't hear any more. We gotta tell them what you and Coyote-"

"No!" he snapped. "We have a duty to the jefe, and he sssaid not to ssay a word."

"Cid!"

"Trusst me, Ssally. It'll all be fine in the end…"


	6. Betrayer Revealed

Betrayer Revealed

With one of the "criminals" in custody and the other "culprit" approaching, Coyote Star got paid and were free to return to their base of operations. However, Sally got permission to stay behind a while. She was temporarily joining Star Fox to "study and compare craft notes." After a while, Fox called the team in to have a discussion.

"Is everyone here?" Fox checked. "Good. We are here to discuss a grave matter, as most of us know." Fox looked directly at Sally and said, "Sally, now I know this will be hard to accept, but Coyote-"

"I already know," Sally interrupted him somberly. "Cid told me."

"Oh," Fox sighed, "well that saves us the trouble of breaking it to you. But on to the more important issue, Slippy."

"Right," Slippy agreed. "We need to get tangible evidence proving Coyote's guilt. Now, I think we should try to hack into their COM systems and catch a conversation in progress."

"Good luck with that," Sally retorted. "Coyote's so paranoid that he has the most advanced message coding available."

"Well, then maybe we could monitor them until they slip up?" Falco offered.

"Again," Sally denied, "Coyote is far too vigilant to not notice us."

"Damn that paranoid bastard!" Falco cursed.

"Ahem," someone cleared his throat. The crew turned around to see Mantikis. "I think I have a solution to your dilemma." In Cid's voice, he said, "If you catch my drift, that is…"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coyote needed a rest; some time to think things through. That telepath had come close to destroying twenty years of his life's work. He had gone out in his ship to drift aimlessly in space to relax. He was kicked back in his cockpit seat with his hands behind his head and his feet on the control panel.

"Jefe?" Cid replied. Coyote was startled by this and nearly fell backwards.

"What in tarnation is it, Cid?" Coyote growled.

"…Do you think we'll get discovered?" Cid asked earnestly.

"How many times 'ave I told ya, Cid?" Coyote groaned. "As long as ya keep yer big yap shut until I give the okay, everything's gonna be fine."

"Pleasss forgive me if I forgot, jefe," Cid inquired further, "but what are we gonna do with the sssuppliess we took?"

"First of all," Coyote replied, "I can't believe ye don't remember. I said we're gonna give'em all back eventually."

"And, might I asssk what we did that for?" Cid asked hopefully. A momentary silence followed.

"Alright," Coyote snapped, "what the hell's a matter with ya!" His reply was the mocking laughter of Mantikis. Coyote's whole body suddenly trembled in fear and unbelief. One lousy Sectoid just undermined twenty years of hard work; threw his life in jeopardy. He switched to long-range radar and saw the Great Fox exiting into hyperspace.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't believe it," General Pepper muttered on the verge of mourning. "Coyote Bill, one of Lylat's greatest heroes, a veteran of the old wars, the ideal patriot…"

"We're sorry, General," Fox sighed.

"I'm not," Mantikis tactlessly admitted.

"Shut up!" Falco shouted angrily.

"Now, my release is agreed, correct?" Mantikis ignored Falco.

"Yes, of course," Pepper agreed somberly.

"Then I'd like to carry out the remainder of my stay assisting you in apprehending the real culprits," Mantikis stated.

"What?" Falco spat.

"Why's that?" Slippy thought out loud.

"I am hoping to obtain assistance I'm sure I'll need," Mantikis informed them. "I'll fill you all in later."

"…Can't we just deny the whole thing?" Pepper was shocked and appalled to hear himself say.

"Did you just say what I think you said?" Falco cried out in disgust. Pepper shifted uneasily. "I know this guy's a hero and all, but that doesn't mean we can let him get away with it!"

"I know," Pepper agreed, ashamed. "Forget I said anything about it. …Do what you think is best, Star Fox." The communication was cut off from Pepper's end.

"Okay, team," Fox said after a deep breath, "you all know what we gotta do."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The team returned to Titania to find the Coyote Star H.Q. destroyed.

"We can follow the trail left by their ships," Slippy remarked cockily.

"I don't know," Fox mumbled. "Something doesn't feel right." He turned to Peppy and said, "I'm going down there. Anyone who wants to can come along." Peppy, everyone else, wasn't willing to argue. Falco and Krystal agreed to go down with him, while Slippy and Sally took air support. Mantikis refused to use a piece of equipment that didn't belong to him, and therefore didn't participate.

The three that went planet-side looked around. "What are we supposed to be looking for?" Krystal asked.

"I just got this feeling that something's amiss," Fox sighed.

"That'd be right," the aged growl came from behind them.


	7. Coyote Showdown: Desert Clash

Coyote Showdown: Desert Clash

Fox, Krystal, and Falco whipped around to find Coyote staring them down with a lit cigar in his mouth and face grimacing in anger. Cid had an uneasy smile, and Boulregard gave a cold stare. The first person to talk was Sally, who had spotted Cid below.

"Cid!" she cried. "What are you doing?"

"You talked!" Cid roared at her. "You betrayed my trussst!"

"What do you call what _you_ did?" she retorted.

"I told you about it," Cid snapped.

"Yea, because I asked you about it!"

"Well how am I sssupposed to deny you?" Sally gasped, unsure of how to interpret this statement. "You know how I feel about you."

"…What about you, Tex?" Sally changed focus. "_You_ never did anything wrong."

With a sigh, Boulregard explained, "Meloni, you're too young to understand. I had a choice between my home--my nation--or my friends. I don't know how _you_ feel, young'in, but Coyote and I go back before your birth. I'm also quite fond of Cid. The love of one's friends should always be first."

"He kept you out of the loop, man!" Falco interjected. "What kind of friend is that!"

"As I **said **to Meloni," Boulregard retorted, "you're too young to understand. Besides, you haven't heard his side of the story, yet."

"Like I give a damn what his excuse is!" Falco exclaimed. Boulregard sighed disappointedly. Coyote cleared his throat to regain attention.

Staring at Fox, he said, "I can't believe ya'll destroyed twenty years worth of planning."

"Tell them why, Bill," Boulregard suggested. "Don't let your side go unheard."

"They're not ready for the truth, Tex," Coyote disagreed. "In yer words, they're too young; too innocent ter understand a warrior's mind." Boulregard turned around and headed off.

As he walked away, he said, "I'm getting my ship ready. Join me when you're through… friend."

"Glad I can count on ya, Tex," Coyote shouted after him. He turned his attention back to Fox. "Now, back to business."

"Why did you wait for us?" Fox inquired.

"Ya see," Coyote explained, "I wanted ter test ya."

"Test?" Krystal repeated.

"Just Fox," Coyote continued. "No offense to you, little missy, but this is kind of a manly, mano-a-mano thing."

"What makes you think I'll accept?" Fox said defiantly.

"Because, pup," Coyote grinned, "ya got integrity." Fox could not deny that. He contemplated the challenge.

"What are the rules?" Fox asked.

"On foot," Coyote informed him. "One weapon type only, anything in terms of hand-to-hand combat is allowed, and no help from anybody. That goes for me, too."

"Deal," Fox agreed resolutely after a moment of pause. "I'll use a blaster." Fox held up the gun for Coyote to see.

"Fine," Coyote shrugged. "These are my weapons of choice." He held up two pistol-sized guns. They were silver with black handles and of a revolver design. Fox assumed that the blasts fired from those weapons would do far more damage than the Blaster would. "Go!" Coyote suddenly shouted as he slammed the revolvers back into their holsters, signaling the duel's start.

Fox and Coyote ran to their respective lefts for cover. Fox noticed how fast Coyote was despite his crippling age. This threw the young McCloud off for a moment, but not enough to faze him. As soon as he ducked behind a rock, he took a breather. He tried glancing around the rock, but the second his eye managed around the rock, a shot punched a hole through the rock on the other side. Fox sprinted, needing a better spot for cover. He ran behind a large boulder and fell in a sinkhole. Oddly enough, there appeared to be a tunnel leading towards Coyote's direction. Fox took a gamble and followed it. Meanwhile, Coyote had been shooting holes through the boulder he thought Fox was behind. He waited, knowing Fox would have to pop up sooner or later. The spectators were all watching Coyote. He was now on top of a cliff. After a few moments, without looking, he aimed his right gun behind himself and shot. Fox's blaster blew up in his hands. Fox was startled but uninjured. Coyote turned and put one of his guns away. He began shooting with his right while taking his cigar in his left. Coyote flicked it away and drew his left revolver, now shooting with both. The whole time Fox was dodging the crazed shots of his foe. Eventually, though, the guns both clicked without ammo. "Damn!" Coyote cursed as he quickly reloaded his revolvers.

"Here's my chance!" Fox said to himself, running up to the cliff's wall so Coyote couldn't see him. The wily veteran knew what his tactic was, however. Upon finishing his reloading, he did a reverse somersault off the cliff in Fox's direction. He landed with the revolvers aimed at the wall, but Fox wasn't there, to his immense surprise. He immediately turned. Fox kicked the revolver out of his right hand, head butted him, snatched the left revolver and hurling it behind him, and kicking Coyote into the rock wall. Krystal and Falco mounted themselves on top of the cliff to watch the fight.

"You can do it, dear!" Krystal shouted encouragingly.

"Tan his hide!" Falco roared. Fox was already charging his pinned adversary. Fox ran up Coyote's body, making sure each step was a stomp. He kicked off at his neck and somersaulted backwards.

"Give up, gramps," Fox said. At these words, Coyote's eyes lit up, and a look of pure euphoria spread across his face. Coyote pushed off the wall and ran towards Fox. The McCloud hammered at his joints, but Coyote shook it off and began throwing a fury of punches at Fox's chest. Fox caught his right fist, Coyote socked his face twice, then Fox caught his left fist, and the two made the same mistake and tried to head butt each other. Both warriors reeled back, clenching their own heads in pain. Fox seemed to recover first, and he leaped with a flying kick at Coyote's head. The old pro ducked under it and kicked Fox hard in the back as he landed. Fox stumbled involuntarily into the wall. Just as he managed to turn around, Coyote delivered a savage roundhouse to Fox's head. Fox could barely stand.

"Ya see?" Coyote shouted to the sky. "Too young!" He walked casually over to where his left revolver had been thrown. Fox fell forward onto his stomach with an **ugh**. "Ya silly little pup." Coyote picked up his revolver, dusted it off, and put it away. "You have a lotta potential, though." He walked towards his other revolver. As he got up to Fox's body, he gingerly stepped over while saying, "Excuse me." When he picked up his other revolver, he dusted it off and said, "Just practice a little more, and maybe you'll be a _real_ man someday."

"**Damn you!**" Fox screamed. He had managed to get up on his own two legs, and he broke out into a blind dash.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Coyote sighed as Fox rushed like a man on fire. Just as Fox got within range, he threw a punch at Coyote's head. Coyote kneeled to avoid it, driving his right fist hard into Fox's gut. Fox let out a grotesque-sounding cough, and blood flew out of his mouth. Fox was literally sent off his feet as he flew nearly a yard before impact with the parched dirt. Dust was kicked up to such an extent that Fox was engulfed in a veil of it.

"**Fox!**" Krystal cried, running down to Fox's side. Coyote casually walked over to Fox, reaching him before Krystal. The dust cleared, and Coyote leaned over Fox. The defeated McCloud's eyes turned towards Coyote, showing he was still conscious.

"Til we meet again, kid," Coyote greeted, setting a blaster on Fox's chest. It had an inscription on the side that read James McCloud.

As Krystal got to Fox's side, she began tearing as she said, "I won't let you die, my love. You can't die."

"He'll be fine," Coyote assured her as he straightened up. "Just give him some bed rest and plenty o' water, or whatever it is he likes to drink, and he should be kickin' in a few days." Coyote began to leave.

"Peppy," Krystal ordered, "we need to get Fox up there now!"

"Already on it, Krystal," Peppy assured her. "Slippy's coming to pick you two up."

"Thanks," she said, relieved that everything would be all right. She heard a gasp and a thud, and turned towards where Coyote was walking. The old man was out on his belly. He looked as if he were struggling to try to stand up. She felt compelled by her sympathy for the hurt to help, but she couldn't leave Fox's side. Slippy landed.

"Get in, Krystal!" Slippy shouted.

After a moment of hesitation, she told him, "Take Fox with you, Slippy. I'm going to see if he's all right."

"Wait, Krystal!" Slippy warned. "It could be a trap!"

"Just do it, Slippy, please," she asked. Without waiting for a response, she ran over to the fallen warrior. "Are you okay?"

"Course I am," Coyote groaned in pain. "Just get me up on my feet, if ya can be so kind." Not knowing what compelled her, she helped him up. He drew a metal rod about the size of a baton and pressed a button on the top. It extended to about the size of a walking cane. "Thank ye kindly, little missy." He glanced at Fox, then stared into her large, blue eyes. "Yer gonna make him some fine pups someday." He then walked lamely. Her eyes went up in alarm as a sudden blast of sparks shot out from some of his joints.

"You're a cyborg?" she gasped.

"What," he chuckled, "ya didn't think I could keep it up at my age on a good workout routine, did yas?" He walked off into the sunset, nearly falling again and being caught by Cid, who helped him away. As Sally came to pick up Krystal, she saw the three remaining ships of Coyote Star blast off into space.


	8. An Old Defector

An Old Defector

As Coyote had said, Fox was fine in a few days. Upon recovery, he tried to make hunting Coyote top priority, but Peppy decided that first they should get Mantikis a ship that he would accept. Though using much of the same technology as the Arwing, Mantikis substituted a few of the key components with technology from his home world. The weapon system was completely foreign to the Star Fox team, yet they were able to build it with the Sectoid's directions. The engine was also foreign, and Mantikis had to actually step in to assist Slippy in its installment. The radar was very outdated, but that was how Mantikis preferred it: an infrared system. All in all, the ship looked somewhat like an Arwing, but was shorter and more blunt. It had two wings that were very short and primitive in shape, and two fins on the bottom that looked like Arwing wings. The weapon system consisted of four Vulcan laser cannons. They were fairly weak even when combined, but they homed in on their target to a great extent. Also, the ship ported a powerful laser cannon that mimicked a primitive infantry weapon known as a shotgun. The palette was a forest green with black armor protecting the engine systems. Mantikis dubbed it the "Jetstreak."

After the surprisingly cost-efficient venture, Fox convinced the others that their next priority was to locate and capture Coyote. The search was cold for a while, but eventually a lead came up about a raid on Macbeth. As the team arrived in Macbeth airspace, attempts at communications began.

"This is Star Fox," Peppy tried to signal to the Macbeth forces. "Do you read me? I repeat, this is Star Fox." …No response came. "This doesn't feel right, gang," he turned to the others. "I need you guys to skim the planet's surface for survivors, okay?"

"Finally!" Mantikis exclaimed in satisfaction. "A chance to test my new vessel!"

"…Sure, we'll do it," Fox agreed after a moment of pause.

"Thanks, gu-" Peppy stopped suddenly as Mantikis rushed off eagerly. Following his cue after an awkward pause, the others followed him. After they deployed, strange things began happening. For one, Mantikis flew around gleefully in a very out-of-character fashion.

"What are you _doing_?" Falco asked. Mantikis ignored him and continued to fly in awkward patterns, though they began to slow into a more steady, rigid path.

"He must be the younger brother," Krystal sighed almost admiringly.

"Huh?" Fox coughed suddenly. "Brother?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Krystal mentioned. "The force coming to rescue him is being led by his brother. They don't seem to have a healthy relationship, though."

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"Don't ask," Mantikis sternly interjected.

"How long were you listening!" Fox shouted in alarm. "We didn't hear you enter the com channel!"

"Um," Mantikis retorted rudely, "telepath, remember?"

"Don't you have to be paying attention?" Krystal questioned him.

"I was," Mantikis replied without shame in his voice.

"Well, knock it off," Fox sighed. "You're creeping me out."

"Already lost interest," Mantikis whispered. Things fell silent after that for a bit. They flew over where the Venomian armory they had blown up was. Suddenly, Krystal felt something.

"I'm sensing some thought patterns!" Krystal shouted. "Follow me!" She veered off to the left, and all turned except Sally, who paused.

"You coming?" Falco asked her.

"I…" Sally paused. "I gotta do something. Something very impor-"

"Whatever," Falco interrupted uninterestedly. "Do as you please."

"I'll follow her," Mantikis offered.

"Fine, go do that," Falco sighed. "I don't care."

"Almost as snippy as Vincent," Mantikis muttered before his ship disappeared. He was off the radar.

"Yo, buggy," Falco called, "where'd ya go?"

_I'm still here, idiot. _Mantikis said via telepathy. _Just act like I pulled a vanishing act and carry on. Your telepath will be none the wiser…_

_Again, whatever. _Falco thought to Mantikis, knowing the Sectoid would hear it. Then, aloud, he said, "Looks like he vanished, Fox."

"Worry about him later," Fox ordered, unconcerned. "We have more important things to worry about." Suddenly, a very poor signal came in.

"**_Hello… Any- there? We- still -live. Abou- ifty surv-ors left. Need b-up im-di-ly. S- Wolf at-ked. L-ing for St- ox. Oi-y sent th- ere. An- ere?_**"

"Hello?" Krystal replied clearly. "This is Star Fox. We are here to help you. Do you understand me?"

"…**_-ar Fox? H- uys, they- re! -s, we c-py. Do y- ave… -sion?_**"

"Yes, we have your position," Krystal replied. "We are coming for you. Try and get to open areas."

"**_Y-s ma-m! O-r -d out…_**" The team accelerated towards the signal's source. Krystal sensed that Fox seemed down.

"What's the matter, dear?" she asked him.

"Nothing," Fox groaned, "I'm just upset that our trail's gone cold again. Especially since this was Wolf's doing."

"Uh," Slippy interjected, "speaking of Wolf, here he comes!"

"What!" Fox gasped. He looked on his radar and saw four ships approaching. "Wolfens! …Wait a sec, there's four of them!"

"Wonder who the new guy is," Falco thought out loud.

"Fox!" Wolf exclaimed. "We meet again!"

"What's this I hear about Oikonny sending you?" Fox inquired with a sneer.

"He didn't _send_ us," Leon interjected to correct him. "He _hired_ us."

"Don't tell me you'd stoop so low, Wolf," Fox said with disgust.

"I know it's dirty work, McCloud," Wolf agreed, "but it pays good."

"Sorry to interrupt," Panther said insincerely, "but is that the lovely Krystal I see?"

"I'm married, Panther," Krystal reminded him, or so she thought.

"M-m-married!" Panther gasped. "You got married? To **whom**!"

"To Fox," she stated, then asked, "Didn't you get our invitation?"

"I-in-invitation?" Panther stammered in shock. "Wolf, we got an invitation?"

"It would've been unnecessary," Wolf sighed shamefully.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Panther objected.

"Because you'd be acting like you are now!" Wolf snapped. "So shut your mouth!"

"It would've been an interesting diversion," Leon chimed in. "A missed opportunity to pull off a few pranks… Oh well. At least I can mock the bird."

"What was that?" Falco snapped. "You and I are gonna scrap if you don't zip it!"

"Another interesting diversion," Leon snickered. "Fortunately, that's what this whole raid--and the mission, for that matter--is all about!"

"Uh, guys?" Slippy interjected.

"What?" Fox and Falco snapped at the same time, somewhat lost in their respective fervors.

"Eek!" Slippy yelped in response. "I just wanted to know who the new guy was!" Fox realized he was out of line.

"Slip, I'm sorry I-" Fox was interrupted.

"Ya know," Falco said with a grin, "you're right, Slippy. Who _is_ the new guy?"

"Normally, he's so talkative," Leon groaned, "nagging at us for our _inefficiencies_, our _inexperience_, our _arrogance_-"

As Leon went on bitterly, Wolf shouted, "Hey, Jack! Say hello to our friends, will ya?"

"Fine," a deep, gruff voice replied. "Hello. There, I said it."

"What's with the moodiness all of a sudden?" Wolf growled.

"Coffee ain't givin' me the kick it usually does," 'Jack' grumbled.

"I don't get it," Slippy thought aloud. "Where's his visual?"

"Oh," Jack grumbled, "sorry 'bout that." A small click sound was heard on his end, followed by a face visual. It displayed an ape with black fur and skin; a gorilla. The eyes were black, with the pupils and corneas separated by yellow-or-very-light-brown irises. Small red vanes were visible in the eyes, showing that his eyes were bloodshot. The fur all around his head seemed wild and unkempt. "Name's Jack Silverback. Call me Jack; I don't like formalities."

"Don't be so modest, Jack," Leon bragged in his name. "He's the Father of Guerilla Warfare!"

"Wait a sec," Peppy interjected as the Great Fox arrived. "_The_ Jack Silverback!"

"One an' only," the seemingly aged primate replied in a tired slur. "Why d'ya ask?"

"As in the Jack who teamed up with Coyote and Boulregard?" Peppy asked panickingly.

Jack let out a sigh and groaned, "Yes, _that_ Jack. What, are you gonna criticize me for defectin'?"

"Defecting?" Fox repeated. "What does he mean by that, Peppy?"

"I'll give you the details later," Peppy replied, "but he's an old vet who defected to Venom long ago. He's Andross's brother and-"

"**Don't** tell me," Falco predicted. "He's Oikonny's dad?"

"_Foster_ father," Peppy corrected. "Took the-"

"That's enough!" Wolf shouted. "We do this **now!**"


End file.
